Photo: Mumbai to Shirdi - A dOg's Walk !

[rOhit beHaL]

A white dog curls up on the doormat at the entrance of the Sai Baba Temple
at Gazdar Bandh in Santacruz (west)`Mumbai - MH.
His name is Sainath and he likes long walks. Really, really long walks.
We're talking about eight-day long walks from Mumbai to Shirdi.

That's where he is from. The temple takes Sai Baba's palki to Shirdi every year.
The devotees and the functionaries make the 250-km odd journey on foot, taking eight days.





One day, six years ago, a pup started walking with them when they were making their journey back.
The group imagined the dog would go back to Shirdi after walking some distance from the town,
but he just kept walking until they reached Mumbai.
The pilgrims shared their food with him and he slept with them through the journey.

Now he sits at the door of the temple, quiet and composed.
He is fed, vaccinated and looked after by the functionaries of the temple and the devotees nearby.
Ever docile, he'll waddle to you for a pet, but he's no boisterous attention seeker.
He's content to sit quietly by the door, while devotees swerve and step over him to pay their respects.

Every year when the palki starts up for Shirdi, he takes his place behind the flag-bearer as they begin their walk.
He walks with the group for 8 days, unmindful of the other dogs and the weather.
When they get to Shirdi, he acts like he is back in his village, gallivanting around town,
meeting old friends, until its time to leave. If they are making the journey back by car,
he jumps into the one with the provisions immediately, and bids goodbye until next year.

It's not all hearsay, this. The big banners around the temple show Sainath walking in the procession to Shirdi.
This is some kind of idyllic life —a safe haven to sleep, regular food, long walks and a way to keep in touch with the roots.











'Until One has lOved an animal, a part Of
One's sOul remains unawakened.'
....AnatOle France





'A hOuse is Only a hOuse:
until yOu add 4 pAws.
Then it becOmes a hOme !'
....unknOwn





'If a dOg will nOt come tO yOu
after having lOOked yOu in the face,
gO hOme & examine yOur cOnscience !'
....wOOdrOw wilsOn



rOhitbeHaL

[v2birit]

Good Dog. Any Photos for the dog ?

Om Sai Ram

[rOhit beHaL]

Sairam Ji...I did not understand which photos.

Actually this news was published in Dec`2013.
I did not post it...thought to arrange for a couple of photos of the dog.
But, as lazy I can be...I never made an effort to go to this place and click a few.

Yesterday, I started getting the urge to post this news. But again no photos !
So, again I dropped the idea.

But today morning only a Video was uploaded by the caretaker of the Dog
 from which I got the above 2 snapshots and as I was about to post the article...
I landed upon the first (top) photo of the Dog infront of Baba's Idol.

So it was Baba all the way...who arranged for the photos ;-)

You can see the Video -

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgx4FC9Ek00[/youtube]

rEgards,
rOhit

[v2birit]

Thanks for the Video. I can see the Dog in the video.
But somehow the Photos in the first post are not visible. I am logged in, still...May be something technical....

Anyways, Baba is great...& so are his devotees....& so is the dog...

Om Sai Ram